Effectiveness of Worksite Nutrition Counseling for Hyperlipidemic Employees in Kyung-buk Area

Jang, Jeong Hee; Cho, Sung Hee

Abstract

This study was aimed to implement and evaluate worksite nutrition counseling for industrial workers with hyperlipidemia in Kyung-buk area. Forty-six subjects consisted of 41 men and 5 women who were diagnosed hyperlipidemia though health examination had their average age, 40.3+/-.0 and half of them were office workers and one third labor workers. Twenty-eight subjects had fatty liver with or without other complications and six had gastric problems. The subjects were interviewed using questionnaires on food habit, food frequency, smoking, drinking and exercise, and they were given nutrition counseling which was continued for 7 months. Desirable food selections were practiced using foods or food models and various written materials individually or as group during lunch times and breaks. After counseling, smoking and drinking were reduced and exercise and food habits were improved. Average levels of initial serum total cholesterol(T-Chol), HDL-cholesterol(HDL-Chol) and triglyceride(TG) were 214+/-4, 45.07+/-.14 and 281+/-3mg/dl respectively and were not changed significantly except 2.30+/-.04mg/dl increase of HDL-Chol(p<0.1) after nutrition counseling. However, subjects who improved their food habits and smoking, drinking and exercise habits had higher tendency to have reduced serum T-Chol and TG levels compared with those who drank less. Food habit score was negatively correlated with serum TG levels(r=-0.378, p<0.01). It is concluded that an efficient and regular nutrition counseling by dietitian at worksite is beneficial for health of industrial workers.